Ruth: Jesus is Our Kinsman Redeemer
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RUTH: JESUS IS OUR KINSMAN REDEEMER
Ruth 4:1-6 (ESV)
1 Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down.
2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down.
3 Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech.
4 So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.”
5 Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.”
6 Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”
If you are one of those who enjoy reading a love story or watching chick flick movies, I can guarantee that you will fall in love reading the Book of Ruth. Many Bible scholars have often referred to the book as the "Cinderella" story of the Bible. But, more than its appeal as a love story, the redemptive nature of it would undoubtedly compel us to appreciate even more our salvation in Jesus Christ.
In the Bible, there are only two books named after women, Ruth and Esther. Each, of course, is pretty special! However, what makes the Book of Ruth very unique is that Ruth was not an Israelite but a Moabite woman. And if you go back to the Book of Judges, the Moabites were one of the peoples who oppressed the Jews for eighteen years before the Judge, Ehud, was raised by the Lord to deliver them (Judges 3:12-30). With the hostilities between the Jews and the Gentiles, it is great to see how Ruth's story will demonstrate the grace of God that He bestows both the Jews and the Gentiles. You see, the grace of God will not only allow Ruth to be loved by the Jews; she would even be given the privilege of being included in the family line of Jesus Christ. Notice how she became a part of the Messiah's family line:
Matthew 1:5-6 (ESV)
5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse, the father of David, the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,
While the Jews will always consider it a great privilege to be special in God's eyes, God will showcase through the life of Ruth that He has not taken the Gentiles for granted. In fact, in the family line of Jesus, Ruth is the great grandmother of David, the royal line. So, just in case you may be thinking that God might be overlooking you, my prayer is that our study of the Book of Ruth will again remind you that you are pretty special in the eyes of God, and you are included in His overall plan and purpose.
Now, within our sermon series of the portrayals of Jesus in this book, let's specifically discover the implications of Jesus as our Kinsman-Redeemer. Here are three phases in the life of Ruth that can help highlight this representation of Jesus:
I THE PAIN OF REBELLION:
To truly appreciate Ruth's character, first, we need to understand how she became connected to the covenant of God with Israel. The story begins with Elimelech and Naomi's family together with their sons, Mahlon and Chilion, who decided to leave Bethlehem because of a famine.
Last Sunday, Pastor Jeru gave us a little historical background regarding the times of the Judges, when God's people went through the cycle of rebelling against God. Whenever things became peaceful and prosperous, God's people would abandon the Lord, and as a result, God would send oppressors to discipline them. Although the story of Ruth extended from the time of the judges up to David's reign, the same pattern happened here. However, instead of being oppressed, God would discipline them through a famine. Let's read the first five verses of the book:
Ruth 1:1-5 (ESV)
1 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.
2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there.
3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons.
4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years,
5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.
Let me remind you that the town, "Bethlehem," where the family came from, was known as the "House of Bread" because the land was really fruitful in agriculture. So, for Bethlehem to suffer from famine, there was no other explanation except that it was God's sent. Unfortunately, Elimelech decided to leave Bethlehem and find refuge in a heathen nation called Moab. With this move, Orpah, and Ruth, both Moabite women, will be connected to the family by marriage.
The critical question out of this is: When God is dealing with your sin, is it wise to run away from Him? Looking at what happened to Elimelech and his two sons, their decision to run away would have an expensive price - the death of all the three men of the family.
It would have been better to stay in the land and trust God during the famine rather than run away from God. Time and again, we have to be sensitive with the decisions we are making most especially when they are leading us away from a more intimate relationship with God. We know that God in His love will always discipline us. The author of Hebrews reminds us:
Hebrews 12:5-6 (ESV)
5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives."
How do you usually respond to God's discipline? It is true that often, God will use life's difficulties as means to correct us. Submission and patient endurance must always be preferred instead of rebellion.
II THE PATH OF RESTORATION:
The next critical phase in the life of Ruth will come after Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem. Naomi's decision can be seen in two ways:
A. Her Survival (1:6)
Since Naomi's husband died, she will have to depend on other people's kindness to survive. So, when she heard in Moab that God started blessing Bethlehem again with plenty of food, she knew it was time to go back.
B. Her Surrender (1:6)
When Naomi's family left Bethlehem, they also left their God. Now, with the decision to go back, she was definitely seeking to be restored to her relationship with God, who is her Lord. Notice that verse 6 specifically identifies God as Lord – "Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the LORD had visited his people and given them food."
However, Naomi decided to set her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, free from any obligation to care for her. She believed that her daughters-in-law had a much better chance of survival in Moab than in Bethlehem. Considering that they were Moabites, there is a strong possibility that they would be looked down on and discriminated against in Bethlehem. So, with Naomi's urging, Orpah chose to stay in Moab and take the easier and more convenient route.
But then, Ruth will cling to Naomi and decide to go with her. I'm sure what she said to Naomi was so beautiful that it would probably one of the most famous verses in the book of Ruth:
Ruth 1:15-18 (ESV)
15 And she said, "See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law."
16 But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.
17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you."
18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.
What is significant with this decision was first, it could have been harder to make since Orpah decided to stay in Moab. Second, their survival would still be uncertain since Naomi was also like her, a widow. Nevertheless, Ruth totally committed herself to Naomi. Verses 16 -17 will tell us that she chose her destination, her dwelling, her people, her God, and even her burial place.
One fundamental truth that we all can learn from Ruth is that when we consider how we want our future to look, we have to make sure that following God should be included. We don't want to have a future without God being part of that picture. Ruth knew that going with Naomi to Bethlehem would consist of following Jehovah God.
Fast-forward, this decision of Ruth would serve her well because instead of being looked down on as a Moabite woman in Bethlehem, her faithfulness to her mother-in-law would spread and cause her to win the hearts of the Jews in Bethlehem. Later, Boaz will sound off the reputation she has established in her community:
Ruth 2:11-12 (ESV)
11 But Boaz answered her, "All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before.
12 The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!"
Again, this will only prove that we will never go wrong when we pursue our future with the Lord.
III THE PICTURE OF REDEMPTION:
Once Naomi and Ruth settled in Bethlehem, another important character in the story would be introduced to us. His name is Boaz, one of the closest relatives of the family of Elimelech. He is a wealthy landowner and would be the Kinsman-redeemer of Ruth. He will be the representation of Jesus Christ in the book of Ruth.
Before we go further, allow me to explain the law of Kinsman-redeemer. This law is mentioned in two passages in the Old Testament. The first mention is found in Leviticus 25:25-28, which was directly applied to redeeming properties. In Deuteronomy 25:5-10, the Kinsman-redeemer law is applied to marriage:
Deuteronomy 25:5-10 (ESV)
5 "If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband's brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her.
6 And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel.
7 And if the man does not wish to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, 'My husband's brother refuses to perpetuate his brother's name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother to me.'
8 Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and if he persists, saying, 'I do not wish to take her,'
9 then his brother's wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. And she shall answer and say, 'So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother's house.'
10 And the name of his house shall be called in Israel, 'The house of him who had his sandal pulled off.'
According to the law, when someone was widowed, it was the responsibility of the unmarried closest relative of the family to take her so that she doesn't remain destitute and the family name of the deceased husband would not die out.
Well, in the life of Ruth, the closest relative who will take the role of being the kinsman-redeemer would be Boaz. I would really encourage you to read their love story. They would initially meet because Ruth decided to glean in the field that Boaz owned. You see, back in the Old Testament, landowners were not to harvest those grains that would fall on the ground because the law clearly states that they were reserved for the poor and needy individuals (Lev. 19:9; 23:22; Deut. 24:19).
When Ruth went there to glean, Boaz would notice her and give her the particular favor to harvesting even those grains that did not fall on the ground. To make the long story short, when Ruth had heard from Naomi that Boaz could be her Kinsman-redeemer, she made a way to ask Boaz to take his responsibility. The main text we read when we started shows us that before Boaz, there was a relative who was closer to the family of Elimelech, so Boaz decided to approach him to take responsibility. At first, he said yes, but when he realized that a widow is included in his duty, he declined. So, eventually, Boaz would fulfill the responsibility of being the kinsman-redeemer.
You might be wondering, "How did Boaz portrayed the Lord Jesus as our Kinsman-Redeemer?" In the book, written by Ed Hindson and Gary Yates, The Essence of the Old Testament: A Survey, they enumerated the following:
Boaz had to be next of kin; while Jesus Christ became a member of the human race to quality as humanity's redeemer (John 1:1,14; Gal. 4:4).
Boaz had to have the means to pay the purchase price of the land (Ruth 2:1); while Christ also paid the expensive price to redeem the lost humanity (1 Cor. 6:20; 1 Pet. 1:18-19).
As a Boaz was willing to be the kinsman-redeemer (Ruth 3:11), Jesus also was willing to redeem humanity (Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45; John 10:15-18).
Just as Boaz took Ruth as a Gentile bride whom he financially enriched; Christ also took a Gentile bride (the church) that He spiritually enriches (Eph. 1:3; 5:31-32)
As we close this sermon, I trust we would see that Ruth trusted the Lord, and He rewarded her by giving her a husband and a son named Obed. Since Obed would be the grandfather of King David, Ruth will have the great privilege of being included in the linage of Jesus Christ. Imagine, who could ever plan a future like that of Ruth. I trust we won't forget that God changed her life trajectory because she was willing to choose God. I pray that we will always do the same.
-Dr. Jeremiah Lepasana